The management of Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan Remo, has launched a search party for the children of one of its patients, 81-year-old Mr Maurice Okpenyong, who has been abandoned at its medical facility.

This was according to a statement issued by the Director of Communication of the university, Dr Joshua Suleiman, and made available to journalists on Saturday.

Suleiman said Okpenyong was brought to the hospital by his children (a man and a woman), who have now refused to come to take him home after the hospital signed his discharge in December 2023.

The abandoned patient, who is a native of Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, reportedly came in with a Repeat Suprapublic Cystostomy diagnosis.

It was stated that the medical bill of the patient as of December 20, 2023, when he was discharged was N399, 320 but his continuous stay in the hospital till now has raised the bills to N1,279,350.

The statement partly read, “The whereabouts of the patient’s son (Lawrence) and daughter are unknown to the management of BUTH.

“The hospital management said it had teamed up with the police in Ilishan, Area F, and Bariga to look for his son at both his official residence and private address without success.

“The patient’s unpaid total bill was N399, 320, when his discharge was first signed on December 20, 2023.

“But the refusal of his children to come forward to take him home, and his continued stay and upkeep in the hospital has increased the patient’s total bill to N1,279,350 as of March 20, 2024.

“As of the time of this report, the sum of N180,000 only had been paid by the patient or children.”

The hospital’s management said its decision to make Okpenyong’s case public was to ensure that the patient’s family came to take him home as the hospital could no longer guarantee his welfare.

The management also said the patient had not only become unruly but also abusive, even as the hospital continues to cater for his upkeep and well-being.

“Sometimes he removes his urine bag and urinates on the floor, and the whole place smells. This is why we have placed him on watch because we are afraid that he may abscond,” the hospital added. (Saturday PUNCH)

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